Hairpiece

ABSTRACT

A hairpiece including a base having a first pair of elastic loops connected to one edge of the base at opposing corners, a second pair of elastic loops connected to an opposite edge of the base at opposing corners, and a bottom elastic loop connected to a bottom edge of the base. Hair is woven into the base. The first and second pairs of loops and the bottom loop of the hairpiece are sized and shaped for attachment to and removal from a hair accessory, such as a hair comb clip. The first and second pairs of loops wrap around the teeth of the clip, and the bottom loop wraps around the handles of the clip. The hair of the hairpiece extends away from the clip and may be styled by the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/309,256, filed Mar. 1, 2010, the disclosure ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to hairpieces and, more particularly, tohairpieces that attach to hair accessories, such as hair comb clips andthe like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hairpieces are well known in the art and are typically used to addvisual appeal to one's hairstyle. When a person uses a hair comb clip tolift her hair up and away from her shoulders as part of a hairstyle, itis desirable to have a portion of the hair protrude from the hair combclip to give the hairstyle added visual appeal. However, many users donot have hair of their own long enough to provide such visual appealwhen employing a hair comb clip. In such circumstances, hairpieces canbe used to provide visual appeal to those with shorter hair.

Most hairpieces are woven into the user's own hair, giving the hairwithin the hairpiece the appearance that the hair of the hairpiece isthe same hair that grows out of the user's head. However, the process ofweaving a hairpiece into a user's hair is arduous, time consuming, andoften requires the service of a professional. Further, because such ahairpiece is woven into the user's hair, it cannot be easily removed bythe user and typically remains within the user's hair until the userwants to have the hairpiece permanently removed. As such, the choice asto whether to employ a hairpiece in one's hair is difficult, as there isa certain level of permanence in using such a hairpiece.

Thus, there exists a need for a hairpiece that can be readilyincorporated in and removed from a user's hair at the user's election.Further, there exists a need for a hairpiece that can be incorporated ina user's hair through ordinary means and used with ordinary hairaccessories.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a hairpiece comprising a basehaving a first pair of elastic loops connected to one edge of the baseat opposing corners, a second pair of elastic loops connected to anopposite edge of the base at opposing corners, and a bottom elastic loopconnected to a bottom edge of the base. In an embodiment, the first pairof loops are smaller in size compared to the second pair of loops, andthe bottom loop is larger than any of the loops in the first or secondpairs of loops. Hair is woven into the base.

In an embodiment, the hairpiece is used with a hair comb clip having aplurality of teeth and a pair of handles. When the hairpiece is in use,the first and second pairs of loops wrap around the teeth of the haircomb clip, and the bottom loop wraps around the handles of the hair combclip. The first and second pairs of loops and the bottom loop of thehairpiece are sized and shaped to facilitate attachment to and removalfrom any size hair comb clip found in the market today. The hair of thehairpiece extends away from the hair comb clip and may be styled by theuser. The hairpiece in conjunction with the hair comb clip may then beclipped to a user's hair to provide visual appeal to the user'shairstyle.

The hairpiece may also be used with other accessories, such as smallflat combs, hairpins or bobby-pins, or as part of a modified baseballcap, in order to give added visual appeal to one's hair style. Thehairpiece may also be used by itself as a pony tail holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference ismade to the following detailed description of the invention consideredin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a hairpiece according to an embodiment ofthe present invention with no hair shown;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the hairpiece shown in FIG. 1 with hairshown;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hair comb clip that is used inconnection with the hairpiece shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hairpiece shown in FIG. 2 attachedto the hair comb clip shown in FIG. 3 with the hair comb clip shown in apartially open position;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a hairpiece according to another embodimentof the present invention with no hair shown.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the hairpiece shown in FIG. 2 used inconnection with small flat combs;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the hairpiece shown in FIG. 2 used inconnection with the modified baseball cap that is shown in a cut awayview; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the hairpiece shown in FIG. 6 used inconnection with a baseball cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a hairpiece 10 having a rectangular-shaped base 12, afirst pair of elastic loops 15A, 15B connected to a first edge 13 ofbase 12 at opposing corners, and a second pair of elastic loops 16A, 16Bconnected to a second edge 14 of base 12 opposite the first edge 13 atopposing corners. The hairpiece 10 further includes a bottom elasticloop 18 connected to a bottom edge 17 of the base 12, which isintermediate and perpendicular to the first and second edges 13, 14.While the base 12 is preferably rectangular in shape, it can consist ofother shapes and sizes, e.g. a square, an oval, or a rectangle withrounded corners. FIG. 2 shows the hairpiece 10 having hair 20 attachedto the base 12.

In an embodiment, the base 12 is formed by sewing wefts of the hair(e.g., fiber or otherwise) together in a honeycomb or a diamond pattern22, and then attaching a border 24 to the edges of the pattern 22 toform the desired shape of the base 12. The pattern 22 is created fromwefts of the hair 20 using sewing methods well known in the art ofmaking hairpieces. The border 24 also provides a stable surface wherethe loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B and 18 can be connected to the base 12. Inother embodiments, the base 12 is made of synthetic polyester fabric,cotton fabric, or other types of fabric, and wefts of hair can be sewnacross it. In another embodiment, the hair 20 can be directly hand-tiedonto the base 12.

The loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, and 18 are made of elastic stringmaterial. However, it is understood that the loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16Band 18 can be made from other elastic materials without departing fromthe present invention. The loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, and 18 areconnected to the base 12 by stitching, but they may also be connected tothe base 12 through alternative means, such as glue or other types ofadhesive. The loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B are sized and shaped to fitaround the individual teeth of a hair comb clip, as discussed below. Inan embodiment, each loop of the first pair loops 15A, 15B is smaller indiameter than that of each loop in the second pair of loops 16A, 16B. Inanother embodiment, each of the first pair of loops 15A, 15B has adiameter that is identical to each of the diameters of the second pairof loops 16A, 16B, all being sized to fit around the individual teeth ofa hair comb clip. In an embodiment, the bottom loop 18 is larger thanthe first and second pairs of loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B. The bottom loop18 is sized to fit around the handles of a hair comb clip in a stretchedstate, as discussed below. Further, while the hairpiece 10 shown in FIG.1 shows the first and second edges 13, 14 of the base 12 each having theloops 15A, 15B and the loops 16A, 16B connected thereto respectively, itis understood that the hairpiece 10 may have more or less than two loopsconnected to each edge 13, 14 of the base 12 without departing from thepresent invention (see, e.g., FIG. 5).

The hair 20 may include human hair, but it is understood that othertypes of hair, including synthetic hair, may be used with the presentinvention. Further, while the hair 20 flows upward and away from thebottom edge 17, it is noted that alternative embodiments of the presentinvention may have the hair 20 flowing in other directions relative tothe base 12 and the bottom edge 17 without departing from the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a hair comb clip 30 with which the hairpiece10 is used. The hair comb clip 30 is commonly found in the hair combclip market and comprises two members 31 and 32, each having a handle33, 34 and a plurality of teeth 35, 36 respectively. When the hair combclip 30 is in a closed position, the teeth 35, 36 meet in an interlacedrelationship. The hair comb clip 30 is placed in an open position bypressing the handles 33, 34 rotatably together, which pulls the teeth 35away from the teeth 36. The hair comb clip 30 may then engage a user'shair by releasing the handles 33, 34, allowing the hair comb clip 30 toclamp down on a user's hair by returning to a closed position.

Reference is made to FIG. 4 to illustrate the method of attaching thehairpiece 10 to the hair comb clip 30. The hairpiece 10 is attached tothe hair comb clip 30 by first placing the hair comb clip 30 in an openposition and then wrapping the first pair of loops 15A, 15B over the topleading teeth of the teeth 35. Depending on the size of the hair combclip 30, the loops 15A, 15B may respectively wrap around the first andsecond teeth 35A, 35B or the first and third teeth 35A, 35C of the teeth35. With the hair comb clip 30 remaining in an open position, the loops16A, 16B are then respectively wrapped around the first and second teeth36A, 36B or the first and third teeth 36A, 36C of the teeth 36. The waythe loops 16A, 16B wrap around the teeth 36 should mirror the way theloops 15A, 15B wrap around the teeth 35. Here, it is noted that in theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loops 16A, 16B are larger indiameter than the loops 15A, 15B in order to allow the loops 16A, 16Bthe ability to stretch around the teeth 36 while the hair comb clip 30remains in an open position, as seen in FIG. 4. This allows for easyattachment and easy removal of the hairpiece 10 to and from the haircomb clip 30.

Still referring to FIG. 4, after the first and second pairs of loops15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, are attached to the teeth 35, 36 respectively, thehair comb clip 30 is brought to a closed position. The bottom loop 18 isthen wrapped around the handles 33, 34 of the hair comb clip 30 whilethe hair comb clip 30 is in a closed position. Doing so allows the base12 of the hairpiece 10 to fit snugly against the hair comb clip 30. Oncethe above process has been completed, the hairpiece 10, in conjunctionwith the hair comb clip 30, is ready to use with a user's hair, and theuser may style the hair 20 of the hairpiece 10 to her liking. To removethe hairpiece 10 from the hair comb clip 30, one must perform thereverse of the process stated above.

FIG. 5 shows a hairpiece 110 according to another embodiment of thepresent invention with no hair shown for clarity. The hairpiece 110 hasa similar construction compared to the hairpiece 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and2, with the exception that the base 112 of the hairpiece 110 has onefirst loop 115 connected to the first edge 113 and one second loop 116connected to the second edge 114. The method of attaching the hairpiece110 to the hair comb clip 30 shown in FIG. 3 is similar to thatdescribed above with regard to FIG. 4, except that only one loop oneither of the edges 113, 114 of the hairpiece 110 can be wrapped aroundthe top leading teeth of teeth 35, 36 of the hair comb clip 30 (i.e.,the first loop 115 can be wrapped around any one of the first, secondand third teeth 35A-C of the teeth 35, and the second loop 116 can bewrapped around the corresponding one of the first, second and thirdteeth 36A-C of the teeth 36).

Another embodiment of the present invention involves incorporating thehairpiece 10 shown in FIG. 2 directly into the user's hair without usingthe hair comb clip 30 shown in FIG. 3 (not shown). With the userpositioning her hair in the shape of a pony tail, the user stretches thebottom loop 18 of the hairpiece 10 around the circumference of theuser's pony tail to hold the pony tail in place (not shown). The userthen tucks the first and second pairs of loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B aroundand under the user's pony tail, thereby concealing the first and secondpairs of loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B from view (not shown). The user cansecure the first and second pairs of loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B under theuser's pony tail using a hairpin (not shown). As a result, the base 12of the hairpiece 10 is wrapped around the user's hair, and the hair 20of the hairpiece 10 may then flow in the same direction as the user'shair, giving the appearance that the hair 20 is a part of the user's ownhair (not shown).

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which involvesutilizing flat hair combs 45, 46, 48 to incorporate the hairpiece 10shown in FIG. 2 into the user's own hair. The hair combs 45, 46, 48 arecommonly found in the hair comb market and are designed to give shapeand visual appeal to the user's hairstyle. The hairpiece 10 is placedagainst the user's hair so that the hair 20 flows in the direction ofthe user's hair. Each of the first pair of loops 15A, 15B is wrappedaround the outermost teeth 45A, 45B, respectively, of the comb 45, andeach of the second pair of loops 16A, 16B is likewise wrapped around theoutermost teeth 46A, 46B of the comb 46, respectively. The bottom loop18 is wrapped around all but the outermost teeth 48A, 48B of the comb48. The combs 45, 46, 48 are then placed into the user's own hair, andportions of the user's own hair are positioned to cover the base 12 ofthe hairpiece 10. It should be noted that while this embodiment onlyutilizes the three combs 45, 46, 48, the hairpiece 10 may be used withfive small combs, one for each of the loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B, and 18.Furthermore, hairpins, bobby-pins, or other fastening means may be usedin place of the combs 45, 46, 48 without departing from the presentinvention.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention, whichincorporates the hairpiece 10 with a baseball cap 50. As shown in FIG.8, the baseball cap 50 is a standard baseball cap that is commonly foundin the market and includes a rear opening 52 in the back of the baseballcap 50. As shown in FIG. 7, the baseball cap 50 is modified to includebuttons 55A, 55B, 56A, 56B located proximate to the rear opening 52. Thehair 20 is placed through the rear opening 52, and the first and secondpairs of loops 15A, 15B, 16A, 16B are wrapped around the buttons 55A,55B, 56A, 56B respectively. The bottom loop 18 may remain concealedunder the baseball cap 50. The user may then wear the baseball cap 50with the hairpiece 10 incorporated therein.

It will be understood that the embodiments described herein are merelyexemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variationsand modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. All such variations and modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of the invention.

1. A hairpiece, comprising: a flexible base having a border defining afirst edge, a second edge opposite said first edge, a top edgeintermediate said first edge and said second edge, and a bottom edgeintermediate said first edge and said second edge and opposite said topedge, and a pattern of inter-connected wefts of hair, said border beingattached to and surrounding a periphery of said pattern ofinter-connected wefts of hair; at least one first side loop attached tosaid first edge of said base at said border, said at least one firstside loop being made from an elastic string material and being sized andshaped to engage a first portion of a hair accessory; at least onesecond side loop attached to said second edge of said base at saidborder, said at least one second side loop being made from an elasticstring material and being sized and shaped to engage a second portion ofthe hair accessory, said at least one second loop having a diameterlarger than that of said at least one first loop; a bottom loop attachedto said bottom edge of said base at said border, said bottom loop beingmade from an elastic string material and being sized and shaped toengage a third portion of the hair accessory, said bottom loop having adiameter larger than those of said at least one first loop and said atleast one second loop; and a plurality of hair attached to and extendingfrom said base.